Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1887-08-16
Awful Railroad Wreck,
sEvENTY-TIvEp PEOPLE KILLED
AND MANY WOUNDED.
An Excursion Train En- Route tc
Niagara Falls Goes Trough a
Bridge on the Peoria and
Western Railroad with
Terrible Results.

|
terrible accident occurred to Toledo
Peoria Il Western railroad excursion
train, three miles east of here Wed
nesday night few minutes befor,
II O'Clock. The train was composed o.
five sleepers, two chair cars, six day
coaches and baggage car, drawn by
Engines Nos. 81 aud -. The acci
dent was caused by the burning of q
bridge. The engineer on the head
engine saw the fire some distance
but thought it was the grass. AS thu
train drew near, the real nature o.
the fire was discovered, but too late
The train was running at the rate o.
thirty miles an hour. The air brakes
were applied. The engineer on the
hind engine jumped; the fireman
stuck to his post. The first engine
jumped the chasm safely; the second
engine was trown from the track
landing on her right side, and bury
ing Engineer E. b. McClintock. All
the cars except the sleepers were tele-
scoped. The wrecked cars took fire
and as there was no water within
reach, the passengers were obliged 10
extinguish the flames with dust
from the prairie. While they were
thus engaged tornado struck them
and the unearthly shrieking of the
wind added to the terrors of the
scene.
Seventy-fve persons killed and
nearly three-hundred injured, per-
haps score of them fatally, is the
appalling record of the nights disas-
ter. Before daylight in the morning
there were IS bodies laid out OH the
prairie, and forty or fifty were found
lying wounded under some bushes
not far away. Some of the latter
died while being lifted up on fat cart
for transportation to Chatswork. Al
the wreck, hundreds of men were
searching for more victims and short
ly after daylight four more unrecog-
nized masses of human flesh and tat
tered clothing were found deep in the
ruins.
One of the survivors relates that as
soon as the first engine cleared the
bridge the brush beneath 1t famed
up as il oil had been ignited. He
was fast in the wreck, and called fol
assistance. He was aided by SOME
one outside, and as soon as he was
safely outside of the wreck his res
cuer grasped his watch and tore ii
from him.
Another man was robbed of his
chain, the yandal vainly trying TO
get his watch. The fingers of sever
al of the dead upon which were val
liable rings, were cut off. The rob.
berry Of the dead and injured gave
rise TO the terrible report that the
bridge had been fired and the train
purposely wrecked for the sake OF
plumber.
CHATwoRTH, ILL, Aug. l3.-A cor
oner's jury ofexceptional intelligence,
with Postmaster w. w. Sears as
foreman, have entered upon the task |
of endeavoring TO discover whether
the catastrophe of Thursday morning |
was due to accident or design. Hor-
rible and incredible as the latter theo-
ry may seem at first sight, it is never
theless true that it has many support:
ere among the residents of Chats
worth, and it is also upheld by some
Of the leading officials of the road. |
Certain 1t is, moreover, that the evil
ience already taken pointed more
strongly TO the probabilities that
rain wreckers were at the bottom of
The horror than TO the original idea
hat the bridge over the culvert had |
been set on fire by the burning grass
beneath.
The actual number of deaths has
not been accurately determined. The
railroad authorities claim that the
Total are eighty-seven, while only
scventy-five are on the list in the pos
session of Coroner Long, and of these
two, at least, are alive and uninjured. |
There have been four deaths at Piper
City, which would bring the total up
to seventy-seven. The fact appears
10 be, however, that in the excite
ment and confusion which prevailed |
On Thursday number of bodies
we're sent to Peoria of which no rec
ord was retained, and those who have
been upon the scene since the hour of
the accident insist that the death roll
exceeds one hundred. The number
Of those who sustained injuries, SER
Ious and slight, is fully one hundred
aud fifty. (rhe list of dead is too
ong TO publish. There were no
ientuckians OH board the Inflated
rain.)
THE YEARS WRECKS.
Below is given list of railroad
lisasters which have occurred during
he present year (not including We'd
Iesday's) and the number of victims
n each:
Killed. Inj'd.
an. /. collision at Devils, River, Tex. Is -.
an. 4. collision on ID. and o. X. IL.
Republic, O...................... i6 70
'eb. 8. train derailed, Vermont Cen
trail railroad ............. IN SO
iarch u, broken bridge, Boston and
Providence railroad ...... 81 100
iarch %, broken bridge, Norfolk and
western railroad ...... ........ -. IS -.
2ril 70, collision, Northern Pacific
lay %, collision, Pennsylyania II. Il. o Isl
uly 10, collision, Grand Trunk II. KI2 200
uly y, collision, Erie railroad ls 81
uiy n, collision, Chicago and Alton
hAiiroad ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 30
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